Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-11-11
DEFENSE OF YOUNG MEN,
Divine Service in the Brooklyn Taber.
nacle.

Divine Service in the Brooklyn Taber-
nacle.
Df. Aalmage's Advice to Those About
Starting in Life-No Way to Genuine
Success Except Through Toll of Either
Head or Hand.
BROOKLYN, Oct. 3O.-Six thousand peo-
pie, sitting and standing in the Brooklyn
Tabernacle. and all the adjoining rooms
packed and people turned away! Such
was the scene to-day. The congregation
sang:
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vgor on.
The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.,
preached on the subject: defense of
Young Men," and took his text from IL.
Kings Vi. II: 4And the Lord opened the
eyes of the young man." He said:
One morning in Dothan young theo-
self and Elisha, the prophet, upon whom
he waited, surrounded by whole army of
enemies. But venerable Elisha was not
scared at all, because he saw the mount
aims full of defense for him, in chariets
made out of fire, wheels of fire, dashboard
OF lire. and cushions of fire, drawn by
horses with nostrils of fire, and names of
fire, and launches of fire, and hoofs of
fire-a supernatural appearance that could
not be seen with the natural eye. So the
old minister prayed that the young minister
might see them also, and the prayer was
answered, and the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man and he also saw the
fiery procession. looking somewhat, sup
pose, like the Adirondacks or the Alle-
ghanies in this autumnal resplendence.
Many young men, standing among the
tremendous realities, have their eyes half
shut or entirely closed. May God grant
that my sermon may open wide your eyes
to your safety, your opportunity, and your
destiny.
A mighty defense for young man is a
good home. Some of my hearers look
back with tender satisfaction to their early
home. 1t may have been rude and rustic,
upholsterer never planned or adorned it.
But all the frssco on princely walls never
looked SO enicing to you as those rough
hewn rafters. You can think of no park
or arbor of trees planted on fashionable
country seat 10 attractive as the plain
brook that ran in front of the old farm
house and sang under the weeping willows.
No barred gateway, adorned with statue of
bronze, and swung open by obsequious
porter in full dress, has half the glory of
the swing gate. Many of you have q
second dwelling place, your adopted home,
that also is slcred forever. There you
built the first family altar. There your
children were born. All those trees you
planted. That room is solemn, because
once in it, over the hot pillow, tapped the
wing of death. Under that roof you ex-
pect when your work is done to lie down
and die. You try with many words to tell
the excellency of the place, but you fail.
There is only one word in the language
that can describe your meaning. 1t is
home.
Now, declare it that young man is COM
with charm like this upon him. The
memory of parental solicitude, watching,
planning, and praying, will be to him q
shield and shelter. never knew q man
faithful both to his early and adopted home,
who OF the same time was given over to
any gross form of dissipation or wicked
ness. He who seeks his enjoyment chiefly
from outside association, rather than from
the more quiet and unpresuming pleasures
of which have spoken, may be suspected
to be on the broad road to ruin. Absalom
despised his fathers house, and you know
his history of sin and his death of shame.
If you seem unnecessarily isolated from
your kindred and former associates, is there
not some room you can call your own?
Into it gather books and pictures and a
harp. Have q portrait over the mantel.
Make ungodly mirth stand back from the
threshold. Consecrate some spot with the
knee of PRAYER. By the memory of other
Eokh ~,
love, and sisters confidence, call it home.
dustrious habit. Many young men, in
starting upon life in this age, expect to
make their way through the world by the
use of their wits rather than the toll of
their hands. A child now goes to the city
and fails twice before he is as old as his
father was when he first saw the spires of
the great town. Sitting in some Office,
rented at $1,000 year, he is waiting for
the bank to declare its dividend, or goes
into the market expecting before night to
be made rich by the rushing up of the
stocks. But luck seemed SO dull he re-
solved on some other tack. Perhaps he
borrowed from his employers money
drawer, and forgets TO put it back, or for
merely the purpose Of improving his PEN
manship makes q copy plate of mer-
chants signature. Never mind, oil is right
in trade. In some dark night there may
come in his dreams vision of Blackwells
Island, or of Sing Sing, but it soon van
ishes. In q shot time he will be ready to
retire from the busy world, and amid his
focks and herds culture the domestic
virtues. Then those young men who once
were his schoolmates, and knew no better
than to engage in honest work, will come
with their OK teams to draw him logs and
with their hard hands help heave up the
castle. This is no fancy picture. 1t is
everyday life. L should not wonder if
there were some rotten beams in that
beautiful palace. I should not wonder il
dire sicknesses should smite through the
young man, or if God should pour into
his cup of life draught that would thrill
him with unbearable agony. l should not
wonder if his children should become to
him living curse, making his home a
pest and disgrace. I should not wonder
if he goes to miserable grave, and beyond
it into the crashing of teeth. The way OF
the ungodly shall perish.
My young friends, there is no way to
genuine success except through toll either
OF the head or hand. At the battle OF
Crecy in 1916 the Prince of Wales, find
ing himself heavily pressed by the enemy,
sent word to his father for help. The
father, watching the battle from wind.
mill and seeing that his son was not
wounded and could gain the day if he
would, sent word: mo; will not come
Let the boy win his spurs, for, if God will
T desire that this day be his with all its